As winter set in, the alarm sounded that almost a third of greenhouse horticulture entrepreneurs were in liquidity problems or at risk of being in liquidity problems in the near future due to the persistently high gas and electricity prices. A bankruptcy wave loomed, but it ultimately did not materialize. At least for the time being.
The WOS asked Jacco Vooijs of Glastuinbouw Westland and Arne Bac of Rabobank whether the panic was over and whether it hadn't been a 'storm in a teacup' after all. "No," they said because, by now, the situation is considerably different with lower energy prices.
Big help from The Hague, despite the cries for help (even back in spring 2022), didn't really come. Tomato grower Tom Zwinkels of Bryte tells WOS that, apart from sustainable investments that growers made en masse, especially turning off the lights, 'really makes a difference.'